Smack those LYBs with the jawbone of a jackass (I'm sure the righteous form of jackass will not be allowed). Smite them on their heads with thy club of cedar. Fell them with smooth flat river rocks between their eyes with thy slings. Slag the poisonous vipers with thou chariots of fire. Skurrer their ships with thy arrows of fire. Free the lamenting peoples of Sumatra with thy pure and mighty legions.
Perhaps the culmination moment has arrived. While luck always has its fickle role, good planning is a nice trump card to hold.
And now a word from our sponsor......Have you had your bowl of rice today?......
Skurrer?? Does that = skewer?? Have you been taking the popular Greyjoy Spelling Lessons Course too??
Et tu princep01? Then die, Engrish rangrage! [:'(]
No matter how bad a situation is, you can always make it worse. - Chris Hadfield : An Astronaut's Guide To Life On Earth
It was a purposely planted Greyjoyism to draw forth the spelling bee champion of Woodridge Park Elementary School....that must be BBfanboy:).
Meanwhile, I sit on the edge of my chair awaiting news from the Sumatra front. The eyes of the world rest on John III and our illustious writer
There is a strategic purpose behind my nagging posts on spelling and choice of correct words - to increase CRs post count in the race to catch up to Greyjoy's numbers ...[8D]
No matter how bad a situation is, you can always make it worse. - Chris Hadfield : An Astronaut's Guide To Life On Earth
But why fight the enemy in the enemy's primary zone of (English language spelling in)competence? Surely we could generate posts with the witty tea-time observations of a Southern gentleman of letters?
To win he needs to sink your CVs. To win strategically you need not to lose the CVs since your SLOCs will be secure due to his need to re provision his CVs from time to time.
It simply doesn't make sense to me for the Allied CVs to risk fighting when fighting risks all but gains so little. I'd beach all the CV planes and invite the naval clashes as he tries to bombard + the attrition of KB when he grows frustrated and commits it vs land bases ( a major strategic error in this situation).
Concur. He has to use his. You do not. A great position to be in as the Allies in 42.
I'm still wrestling with a tough decision - do I move one or two carrier fighter squadrons to Sabang to beef up fighters to roughly 275?
One minor downside. Once those fighters show up in a combat report John will know that you have no intention of using your CV's.
Today I come bearing an olive branch in one hand, and the freedom fighter's gun in the other. Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand. I repeat, do not let the olive branch fall from my hand. - Yasser Arafat Speech to UN General Assembly
War drums soundings, cymbols crashing, the bright sounds of cutlery clattering as it drops to the floor....
Theater at Sea: Yamato and Musashi bombard Allied troops at Medan, causing major disruption to 32nd Div. An RN CA TF tangles with a massive amphibious TF trying to reinforce Phuket. Damage inflicted is lighter than I might have expected, but I also think the enemy ships had to retire without unloading. More mine hits. Some hot sub action for both sides. And all or part of the KB pops up SW of Sabang, picking off an xAK picket ship in the process.
Theater on Land: The Allied attack at Medan comes off at low odds despite overwhelming numbers, but does very high damage to the enemy (25 squads destroyed). I'd like to commit some cruiser TFs to protect the land troops, but this isn't the time to do it. I can sort out Medan once the picture clears a bit. If the Allies lose at sea, Medan may be an impossibility. If the Allies win at sea, Medan will fall (but heck, then entire Empire may then be on the verge of collapse). So job one is to maximize the chances for victory at sea.
Theater in Air: No major assaults today. Allied 4EB do a pretty good job of inflicting further damage to Port Blair airfield. I'm not positive, but I think John may not be able to use VP or Georgetown airfields in the coming action - especially the latter. Sabang airfield goes to 6.04, permitting additional carrier fighter squadrons to move in.
Does He or Doesn't He? It will be interesting to see if Bold John Cochran immediately attacks. While that's certainly possible, I think he'll be rather tentative, wanting the situation to further develop before he commits to action. He may be hoping against hope that I attack improvidently, thus impaling myself so that he doesn't have to do the same. He may also delight in dancing about while his bombardment TFs vex Medan. So be it. Eventually he's gotta come...and the Allies are growing stronger - more aircraft reinforcements and cruisers will be coming into play over the next few weeks.
Burma: The Japanese continue to retire down the coast road. Now the Allied army at Ramree can venture forth to join the campaign. John is not showing signs of wholescale retreat, but he's yeilding enough to give the Allies much more to work with. That's a major benefit of the Sumatra campaign - the Japanese have conceded two key jungle hexes that might have bottled up the entire Allied army in Burma for months.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
John, you're right, but that probably just complicates John's situation. He should already know that he has to achieve battle and win, probably rather decisively. If he doesn't know this, he'll put it together soon. So, if the Allied carriers don't come out to play, how does he accomplish what he needs to do? He can straddle the LOC between Sabang and Colombo, but I have enough supply to last weeks or months as long as his airforce and combat ships don't take control, and given the array of Allied forces at Sabang, that should be pretty difficult.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
At Sea: The Yamato/Musashi group bombards Medan again with modest affect (I think the TF will have to retire now to Singers to replenish). The KB (or something akin thereto) is west of Sabang, roughly 12 hexes. SigInt that 2nd IJA Div. is inbound to invade Sibolga, so the Japanese carriers main mission may be to provide protection for that force, though at any moment John could switch to the offensive. Kates do pick off AO Tan-2, while a sub finishes off an AO that had been damaged yesterday. Allied DD TFs are scheduled to patrol at Victoria Point, with a larger CA TF to provide cover tonight at Medan - if John forgets to check ammo....well, it's worth a shot.
On the Ground: Enemy paratroops take a second of the Nicobars. The Allies will counterinvade by APD. The Medan attack comes off as a high-end 1:1, drops forts from 3:1, and disables 70+ squads. This base should fall tomorrow. An Indian division is one day out. An element of a US Army RCT crossed a river west of Medan and ended up shock attacking 10th IJA Div. in the jungle. In one of the weirdest attacks I've ever seen, the Americans inflicted something like 325 casualties, took none of their own, but the unit then evaporated by attrition! At Sibolga, the Allies have a USA division that's somewhat reduced in strength (roughly 270 AV). It's about 40% prepped for Sibolga, which is jungle-rough terrain. Gonna be hard for Japan to take this base in the short or medium term. I think by the time John can overwhelm this garrison, the main issue shall have been decided.
In the Air: No major sorties on Sumatra. Enemy 2EB hit Cox's Bazaar hard, damaging some B-25s and roughing up the airfield. Sabang airfield goes to 6.16, an increase of .12; so, roughly 7 to 8 days to reach level 7. Then the engineers will devote time to the airfield and port facilities equally. Supply limit is up to 153k (started at 53k) and the current supplies at the base are 220k.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
Sand the decks. Double shot the main battery and go to battle sail. Manuver to gain the windward tack. Food and a ration of rum for the crew. Remember Pearl Harbor!
Do you have any minelaying subs that could stand a reasonable chance of sneaking into Singapore, laying down some mines, then getting back out? It just seems like such a shame for Yamato and Musashi to come all this way and not pick up any souvenirs. [:D]
Amidst the daily effort to summarize what's going on, here is some esoterica:
1. If you look at the number of ships sunk since D Minus 1, you might at first think the Allies had been bloodied. I've lost a bunch of ships, but thus far nothing that by itself or in combination with others would have the slightest impact on the Allied ability to wage war going forward. I've lost a handful of AO/TK, an AE, and AR, a DD or two, and a fair number of xAK and smaller stuff.
2. Other ships have suffered damage (CA New Orleans took a torp; CVE Long Island took a bomb), but the Allies haven't lost a really valuable ship yet. No AP, no AK, no APD, no CVEs (even though they've been at the very front since D Day), etc. This could change soon, but to this point it's been a very efficient operation at sea.
3. The air war has also gone well, though partly because John was delayed in getting his airforce set up and has since been only hitting at the margins (night Betty attacks vs. Sabang; raids against isolated xAK way out from the main lines; etc.) John only tested Sabang once and got a bloody nose. He'll be back, but in just 20 days the Allies took an airfield that was at 3.47 and totally wrecked and have built it up to 6.16 and growing fast.
4. On the ground things are messier. The Allies did a terrific job at bringing tons of support troops - three Air HQ, SWPac (and all it's nav support), tons of engineers....but all this at the expense of infantry. As a result, I'm stretched. I don't have enough "small infantry" to properly garrison everything that needs it. And my "big guys" - the divisions - are already pretty heavily disabled. I've got some problems on the ground, long term, but nothing that isn't manageable as long as John doesn't take control of the sea lanes.
5. John, too, probably has problems on the ground. I know he's fed in Imperial Guards and 4th Div. in ways that should rapidly deplete them. 2nd Div. may be about to land at Sibolga, which should tie it down for weeks or months. 10th Div. is near Medan and possibly moving overland towards Sibolga. But John still has a big army stuck out in Burma. He cannot mount a credible campaign for Sabang in the next two or three months if he doesn't win the war at sea.
6. John has done well, I think, in piecing together defenses and counterattacks that are taking some of the shine off my snazzy conquests. But I think he's going to go a bit conservative for awhile, feeling out defenses and seeing what he can pick up off the margins and by advancing methodically rather than leaping forward (on the ground and at sea). If that's the case, I think that's to his long-term detriment. I doubt a four or five month campaign is beneficial to him even if he ultimately wins. He might be better off at this date in flinging caution to the wind and throwing all his carriers and combat ships forward to give battle.
7. If the Allies win the sea battle or if the KB has to retire to replenish after a costly attack vs. LBA at Sabang, the Allied carriers may get an opportunity to really hammer the airfield at Port Blair, plus go hunting for the mass of shipping (including Mutsu) that's stuck in no-man's-land. That would be fun, but it doesn't happen until conditions are right.
8. Probably, once Medan falls, the Allies won't go to Tandjoen. Too much time has passed and John has too much power in close proximity. Rather than further fatiguing my troops, I'll probably stand down to build and protect Medan, Langsa and Sabang. If I win control of the sea, I can hold all of them and eventually resume the offensive. If John wins the sea war, or if the contest remains undecided into the medium term (four weeks and more out), the Allies proabably look at Sabang and Langsa as "no retreat" bastions. On the other hand, Medan and Sibolga will be used to buy maximum time to give the navy and airforce time needed to take over.
9. I'm weighing whether to send the other CVEs to this theater. I have three on map with another arriving shortly. The other possiblity is to use them to enhance offensive activity elsewhere. For that, I'm accumulating needed PP and shipping.
10. Sabang is the key. It's clear terrain, so very susceptible to nuclear BB bombardments. But John can't bombard unless he defeats my combat ships, and I don't think he can defeat my combat ships without defeating either or both the LBA and carriers. Sooner or later, he's got to try something bold - massed air strikes vs. the airfield and/or all-out commitment of combat ships. Those are going to be bloody affairs.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
I'm weighing whether to send the other CVEs to this theater
Bring the CVE's...but not for offense. Even if you do well at see he will have air power in the area for a long time to come. You will need to bring valuable troop and supply convoys (looking at you Hurricanes) and they will need to be escorted. fighter and ASW escort will be provided by the CVE's. You will have increasing amounts of good stuff in the pipeline, but moving it the last few miles will require escort, CVE's are your friend here
Today I come bearing an olive branch in one hand, and the freedom fighter's gun in the other. Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand. I repeat, do not let the olive branch fall from my hand. - Yasser Arafat Speech to UN General Assembly
LOTS of focus on the positive space but I think people are losing sight of the negative space. What are you not seeing in all of this maelstrom? I don't think John will be cautious. He'll seek a "spectacular" to free things up. The question is if he can't close Sabang with naval bombardment or bomber raids during the daytime how could he close it?
I might suggest you peruse the first day or so of my Armageddon PBEM where I played as Japan and broke through a massive US CAP and superior naval forces at Okinawa despite having inferior forces. It strikes me that his situation is rather similar - except that he can implement the solution much more easily than I could in that PBEM as he has superior resources to bring to bear.
I think the key is in your post 2796... in which you mention something worrying you hadn't mentioned before.
John Dillworth: "I had GreyJoy check my spelling and he said it was fine."
Well, that's that settled then.
Are you referring to my comment about a "nuclear bombardment" of Sabang, since it's a clear-terrain hex? I do think that's the only way John can shut down the field short of winning the air war. I took advantage of the same feature to hit Sabang hard on D-Day. That's why the Allied navy has to stand and fight. If I was him, I'd orchestrate massed sweeps followed by big strikes by both LBA and carrier-strike aircraft followed by big combat and bombardment TFs.
I'm fortunate in a few ways - mines, big airfield with lots of good squadrons manned by experienced pilots, and the Japanese navy has been reduced somewhat thanks to the two Assam battles.
"Rats set fire to Mr. Cooper’s store in Fort Valley. No damage done." Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, October 2, 1880.
Today I come bearing an olive branch in one hand, and the freedom fighter's gun in the other. Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand. I repeat, do not let the olive branch fall from my hand. - Yasser Arafat Speech to UN General Assembly
